Aw Heck! One of the fleet was totalled

inspiredsports

Not at fault, my daughter was at a dead stop between two other stopped vehicles when a fourth (at fault) vehicle ploughed into the stopped cars at about 35mph. She was belted, but received both the snapback from being rear-ended and restraint marks from being pile driven into the car in front. An immediate trip to the ER and follow up 4 days later revealed soft tissue damage (so far).

The body of our Volvo 850 Wagon (an infant at just 100,000 miles) was barely damaged, but entire exhaust system was pushed into the engine. I'm not sure how the head separated by that impact, but massive amounts of radiator fluid immediately entered the crankcase and the engine was compromised.

Wow, the guilty party's insurance company (Traveller's) is a pain to deal with. Naturally, their offer is about half of what a comparable vehicle will cost. This car was a gem and one of my all-time favorites to drive. (the white on the hood in the image is a reflection of our house)

Any hints on negotiating with these sharks?

tonyb

Whats the bluebook value as opposed to their offer ?

inspiredsports

This car was nearly immaculate so broad strokes averages are not a fair comparison, but around $3,200 is a by the book number. The car also had brand new triple treads, front and rear struts, front brakes, OEC air conditioning compressor, timing belt, OEC heater blower motor assemby and on and on. The offer is $1689.

codyc1ark

tonyb wrote: »

Whats the bluebook value as opposed to their offer ?

I'd use NADA vs KBB, KBB seems to always be too high, or way too low. Older Volvo's are tough to settle, they aren't worth anything and they total easy because parts are so high. Volvo owners are always attached to them, and think they are worth a whole lot more then they are sometimes! :biggrin: What year is the Volvo, it seems to be in fairly good condition.

inspiredsports

1997. I had 7 cars in the fleet, and this was the oldest. Attached, maybe, but if for some reason I had to start out on a 3,000 cross-country road trip tomorrow, that's the car I would have chosen.

agfrost

That stinks. Even if it's a car you don't like, the insurance offer is never enough to make things worth it. When the car is a keeper like your Volvo, you know it's not going to end well. I hope you find some decent outcome.

EndersShadow

Look it up on NADA, a certain company I know of uses NADA's clean retail value when figuring out the value of a car. KBB may not be the best source of info.

Do me a favor and PM me your info... I have some experience with some of this stuff....

brettw22

Maintenance stuff is maintenance stuff, and you'll be lucky to see much of that at all (the arguement is that your car requires tires to run, so you may get a small amount of that back, but you weren't going to be driving your car without tires, right?). Just produce any copy of your receipts that you have and if the purchases were within the last 2-3 months, I'd fight harder for those items to be reimbursed on top of the price.....KBB and NADA take into account the various parts too.....a car in excellent condition prices higher than one that isn't, so you're partly being paid for that in the final number....

As for the price they're willing to pay, you may have to find a few quotes and submit them to get the dollar amount higher......and don't rush to settle. If you aren't pressed to get them to pay up right away, then sit on it for a bit......

Polkie2009

I can relate to what you're going through bro. I had a 1990 model Honda with about 125,000 mi. on it in 2005. I kept it in immaculate condition except for a dinged quarter panel. Like yours, this car too_ was ready to go on a long trip if needed. Anyway, a damn drunk driver turned right in front of me and we hit pretty much head on. I was going about 40 and he was probably going about 25 as he was turning into a parking lot. The impact took out out my whole front end and my insurance co. wanted to total my car and pay me $2500.00. His insurance co. wouldn't cover him due to it being a rental car to a friend of his and he didn't have permission to be driving it. It was worth a lot more to me than $2500 due my maintaining it so well.Had to just let it go and start over looking for another used car.

obieone

Screw that nonsense! Slap a neck-brace on your daughter, and tell them you want a LEXUS LS 460!:twisted:

charley95

get a lawyer

dkg999

They should be using ACV value, not Blue Book value. Your insurance company should be able to tell you what the ACV value is. No one cares about accessories, maintenance, etc. Those are for your personal benefit and enjoyment, they don't add value to the vehicle in an insurance scenario.

codyc1ark

charley95 wrote: »

get a lawyer

Try and find one that will rep you on PD. They don't make any money on that side of it.

dkg999 wrote: »

They should be using ACV value, not Blue Book value. Your insurance company should be able to tell you what the ACV value is. No one cares about accessories, maintenance, etc. Those are for your personal benefit and enjoyment, they don't add value to the vehicle in an insurance scenario.

If only more people understood this!

Toolfan66

Tell them to find you a car just like that one for $1689..

rpf65

Glad I have the insurance company that I have. Had a 07 Corrolla totaled about a year ago. Paid $13,800 total,brand new 175 miles on it. The settlement was for $12,800. I tell everbody to always have a car towed to their house, no storage fees that way. For some unexplained reason insurance companies seem to be more realistic about pricing a car, especially if you put a huge sign on it telling people what they wanted to settle for.

tonyb

It doesn't matter what an insurance company should do, it's whats required by law that they follow. Every state may have different requirements so you may want to check yours. Just sayin'. Also, to get a lawyer involved may negate any increase in settlement you may get so think about it and negotiate yourself first.

monepolk

Quote Originally Posted by dkg999 View Post
They should be using ACV value, not Blue Book value. Your insurance company should be able to tell you what the ACV value is. No one cares about accessories, maintenance, etc. Those are for your personal benefit and enjoyment, they don't add value to the vehicle in an insurance scenario.

What is ACV value?

ErasmusBDragon

charley95 wrote: »

get a lawyer

+1, agreed

goofyGAguy

monepolk wrote: »

What is ACV value?

Actual cash value.

Dennis Gardner

inspiredsports wrote: »

Any hints on negotiating with these sharks?

Mention that there might be a pregnancy involved and they will be on your doorstep with a big check in-hand, beggin' you to sign off..............:biggrin:

gdb

Two words: Independent Appraiser ! Didn't you have comp./collision coverage on your vehicle ? If so, have your company settle with you at a much more favorable figure, then, they'll beat the cash outa' the other guy's company. (subrogation)

gudnoyez

What a shame those Volvos run forever, I had a friend I was stationed with in Germany he has and is still running a Volvo 840 couldnt tell you how many miles on it as of a few years ago was like 230,000 on it. Find a car as in nice of shape as yours was for $1689 not gonna happen. Hope all is well with your daughter.

txcoastal1

Toolfan66 wrote: »

Tell them to find you a car just like that one for $1689..

I fought a dead beat insurance company and piled them with 10 as like replacement valued vehicles and tripled my offer...stick to your guns.

What sucks in Ohio, it seams to have a maximum 3k limit in small claims (Texas 10k) so thats ony little relief.

Good luck man

jbooker82

gudnoyez wrote: »

What a shame those Volvos run forever, I had a friend I was stationed with in Germany he has and is still running a Volvo 840 couldnt tell you how many miles on it as of a few years ago was like 230,000 on it.

I wish I could claim the same. 2004 XC90 T6 with the junk transmission. 110,000 miles it is out and $6k later it is back on the road. Next time it is headed to the junk yard.